Call to Action: Add Your Signature to this Letter by WildAid Canada Society

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Open letter to Minister of Environment and Parks, Jason Nixon and other decision-makers

Honourable Minister Jason Nixon,

Re: Rehabilitated grizzly cubs can boost Alberta grizzly bear recovery.

We are writing to implore you to do what is within your power to help Alberta’s grizzly bear population. We are citizens and wildlife advocates deeply concerned about the three orphaned grizzly bear cubs currently held in Calgary Zoo.

We would like to thank Alberta Fish and Wildlife for rescuing the three cubs and for the care that Calgary Zoo has provided them. We respectfully request that Alberta Environment and Parks consider rehabilitating and releasing these cubs into the Alberta wilderness to boost the province’s grizzly bear population rather than condemning these bears to long-term captive care.

Many Albertan’s fully support this approach given that grizzly bears are a threatened species in Alberta and that rehabilitation and release into the wild is the most humane and logical solution. Science shows that wild animals suffer immeasurably in captivity. The Calgary Zoo was one of the first zoos to treat polar bears with Prozac to mitigate the psychological trauma of captivity and the development of disorders.

The age of the three cubs and their current health make them ideal candidates for the only grizzly bear cub rehabilitation program in North America, namely the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C. Since its inception in 2007, this shelter has raised and released twenty-five grizzly cubs without serious incident.

Once successfully reared and capable of surviving in the wild on their own, the cubs would be released back into Alberta, in an appropriate area with as little human development as possible. We realize British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations must approve the transport of these young grizzly cubs into the province and then back to Alberta once deemed suitable for release. We hope for continued cooperation between our neighbouring provinces in the name of grizzly conservation.

We believe rehabilitating these three orphaned cubs can be a critical first step in reinforcing Alberta’s commitment to grizzly bear conservation and recovery. Since 2013, when the last recovery plan expired, Alberta has been without a recovery plan to guide these efforts. It is time to revisit the 2016 draft plan and update it with the best-available science to improve habitat security and reduce human-caused mortality. This recent incident is a stark reminder how quickly four healthy grizzly bears (Mom and three cubs) can tragically disappear from the landscape.

While some grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 U.S. states have increased dramatically, Alberta’s population has seen no significant increase since the species was designated as threatened in 2010.

As part of the grizzly bear recovery plan update, we urge the Alberta government to consider approving one or more of the Alberta bear rehabilitation facilities for grizzly bear rehabilitation. WildAid Canada Society, based in Kelowna, British Columbia has recently committed to funding a grizzly bear enclosure at Cochrane Ecological Institute, in Cochrane, Alberta. Construction is currently underway on this addition to their renowned facility.

Thank you in advance for putting the welfare of the three orphaned cubs and Alberta’s grizzly bear population first. We look forward to a timely response to our requests.

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